A/N: tfw you update on AO3 but forget about ff lol sorry guys :^)
Chapter Twenty: Steal Away
Nagisa burst through the doors of the emergency room, heart pounding painfully against his chest as he rushed to the front desk, Rei striding hurriedly behind him. Curious eyes followed, but he hardly cared. He was hyper-focused on the people at the reception desk.
"I'm here for Kenichi Hazuki!" he exclaimed breathlessly, hands on the counter to support himself, followed by his boyfriend's comforting touch on the small of his back.
"Right this way," a nurse replied, gesturing down a hall. "Your sister is already waiting."
They were escorted to a private waiting room where they joined Emi, who still wore her uniform. Her short curls spilled over his shoulders where she sat, head buried in her hands. As the nurse shut the door behind them, her head snapped up.
"How is he?" the blond fretted, joining her on one of the plastic chairs.
"I don't know," she replied, her tone defeated and bleak. "It was so sudden - he'd been complaining about increased pain near his spine, and then this happened, and Dr. Greene called, and I got here right when they took him into surgery." She took a shuddery breath, and Nagisa leaned his head against her shoulder, as anxious as she was. Her eyes momentarily flicked between Rei and Nagisa, as the clock ticked away like a heartbeat. She sighed. "Um, Nagisa, I called Maki and Rika. They're on their way." She glanced up at the lawyer one more time, apologetic, and continued, "I wasn't sure if you wanted to um... have Rei along."
"Oh," the lawyer interjected before his boyfriend could say anything. "I see. Why don't I get you a change of clothes?" he offered. The blond had gone to sleep in his outfit from work, and on top of that hadn't showered in a while either. He felt guilty for it, but the younger man reluctantly nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea..."
"I'll be back in a couple hours, then," he said, turning to make his way out. While Nagisa was thankful that the attorney was giving the family their space, as soon as he disappeared from view, he felt terribly lonesome. More than anything, he wanted Rei's comfort - to be held, and to be told that everything would be all right. He had been through this struggle all on his own once before, and he wasn't capable of doing it alone anymore.
As though she could sense her brother's discomfort, Emi wrapped an arm around his shoulder, temporarily startling him - he'd forgotten she was there. Even through her own uncertainty, she offered him a gentle smile, just enough to set him at ease as he cuddled closer, reminding him that no matter what, they were family, and she would never leave him to cope with this by himself again.
The seconds, the minutes, and eventually the hours ticked by with no sign of Maki or Rika. On and off, the other two siblings would glance between the clock and the door, wondering if they would be here for them - for their father - in his final hours. As the clock ran, Nagisa even began to wonder who they would hear from first - the sisters, his boyfriend, or the doctors.
Two and a half hours into the surgery on the dot, Rei once again walked through the doors, a set of folded jeans, a button down, and the blond's favorite university pullover draped neatly over his arms. A crease rested between his brows and his lips were pressed into a thin line. Nagisa rose to greet him.
"Have you heard anything yet?" the attorney asked as he handed over the clothing. The younger man shook his head no, his eyes downcast and his jaw clenched. A moment later, however, he relaxed as a soft set of lips touched his forehead. "Go change," his boyfriend instructed, "We'll wait for you here."
Although reluctant to do so, Nagisa left the secluded area and slipped away to the bathroom. As he swapped clothes in the stall, he noticed that not only had Rei brought his comfiest favorites, but that he'd thought to bring along a change of underwear as well. The blond's throat tightened with gratitude as he remembered how close they'd come to ending their relationship that morning, but he pushed it aside. He had to think of his father. Taking care to splash some water on his face and bundle up his dirty clothes, he hurried back to the waiting room lest he miss any news.
"- don't understand what they're playing at," he heard his sister say as he approached the door. Curious, he peeked around the corner to see Emi clenching her phone in her fist and Rei with his hand somewhat awkwardly placed on her back.
"What's going on?" Nagisa demanded, dropping his clothes off to the side as he switched his complete focus to the conversation at hand.
"Your other sisters have called..." Rei began, at a loss as to describe what occurred. He switched his rosy eyes over to the hunched officer.
"It's been two hours and they've only just left!" Emi exclaimed, tossing her phone back into her purse. "They drove all the way home just to tell Mum and Nathan what's happened - never mind that we've been waiting here for hours!"
The blond was used to the cold shoulder from his sisters, and so the information that Maki and Rika didn't jump at the chance to be at Ken's side didn't surprise him, however much it still hurt. In the early days of his father's injury complications, he'd kept all three of them - Maki, Rika, and Emi - updated about all of the medical changes, but as time went on and they became unresponsive, he'd eventually given up. The feeling of bitterness elicited a sharp laugh from him.
"Of course. So they're all the way in Bridlington? It'll take them hours to get down here! Anything could happen between now and then!"
As if on cue, a nurse in full mint scrubs ducked into the room with a polite cough, immediately silencing the trio. Emi and Rei sprung up from their seats and approached Nagisa anxiously.
"We've just finished the surgery," the nurse told them, "and we've moved Mr. Hazuki from the operating room. It'll be about 90 minutes until he should be ready for any visitors, but in the meantime, Dr. Bingham can discuss it with you. If you'll follow me, now." She turned and left the room, the group anxiously falling into step behind her.
The blond felt sick to his stomach at the neutrality of her words - what was his father's condition? Was it good that they could see him? Did it mean that he was at the end? Before he realized it, he found that his hand was clenched tight against something soft that reciprocated his grip with considerable delicacy. His round, terrified eyes glanced up and found his lover's earnest gaze looking back at him, and he realized that Rei's hand was in his. And that he was likely cutting of Rei's circulation. He took a deep, deliberate breath, loosening his hold, and allowed the older man to guide him until they reached a row of offices. The nurse stopped at the last one and opened the door for them to enter.
An older doctor stood from his desk and reached out his hand for Emi, and then Nagisa and Rei, to take. He gestured for them to have a seat with a professional smile, but the blond could hardly stand to see the look on his face, as anxious as he was to hear the news. He fell back into the chair across from the surgeon, finally eliciting a response.
"You don't need to worry," he stated cheerfully, "I have good news. The procedure went exceedingly well." Dumbfounded at the surgeon's words, all the tension left Nagisa's body as he sagged back into the wooden chair. He launched into an explanation that the blond couldn't fully appreciate, though he understood the gist of it. The tumor burst that morning, requiring immediate medical attention. They proceeded with their original operating plan of removing parts of the offending vertebrae to access the tumor below.
"This is where treatment gets complicated," the doctor continued to explain. Nagisa's anxiety spiked again. "We sent part of the tumor to the lab to determine whether it's cancerous. If it is, his treatment plan going forward needs to involve a bigger team with more specialists, and we won't be able to plan our next step until we've consulted with them. If it's not, however, we'll need to go back in and replace the vertebrae."
"How long will it take to get the results?" Emi's hands rubbed against her lap, leaving small traces of sweat along her pants. The younger man was sure he was in a similar state as his imploring gaze found its way to the surgeon again.
"It typically takes about 48 hours. We'll let you know as soon as they come back," he assured calmly.
"What about his recovery in the meantime?" Rei cut in in, his voice low and serious. His fingers swiped the top of Nagisa's hand gently before he tightened his grip in a soft gesture of support.
"We're optimistic that'll will go well," the doctor began, "but because he is older and the area we operated on has historically been a problem with him, he may take longer to fully recover."
"I see," the attorney stated neutrally, his voice trailing off slightly. When the group offered nothing more, simply processing the events of the day up until now, the doctor checked his watch.
"He should be waking up from anesthesia in 30 minutes," he informed them, "and should be ready for visitors then. Would you like to wait in his room?"
"Yes, please," Emi answered as she stood. Nagisa bit his lip, trying to keep himself from dashing ahead of the surgeon and tearing through the halls to find his father himself, Rei's supportive grip over his own hand being the only thing holding him back.
They were lead to a private, albeit small, room surrounded by the beeps and whooshes of machinery that were all too familiar to the blond. He dropped Rei's hand as he found chair at the rainy window sill and fell back into it, exhausted and hungry and all sorts of empty. His sister mirrored his movements exactly, and despite it all, the three of them grinned wryly.
"I'll get you both something to eat," Rei suggested, pulling out his phone to find something more tolerable than hospital food. The younger man was about to thank him when he caught his boyfriend's violet eyes subtly glancing between him and Emi - a brief suggestion that now would be an appropriate time to bring up his living arrangements with her. As the attorney ducked out, the writer steeled himself for yet another difficult conversation. Maybe it'd be easier now that he'd 'practiced' - people did say that the third time was the charm, right?
"Um, Emi," he began awkwardly, focusing his gaze at his feet, "I actually have something that I need to talk to you about." He heard her shift in her seat and could picture the look of sincere concern on her face - the tilt of her lips, almost like a pout, and the crease of her brow - but he couldn't make himself look up.
"What's wrong?" she prompted, her tone uncharacteristically quiet and subdued. He was sure he didn't sound much different.
"Well, the thing is, I was actually fired the other day. And, um, I'm being evicted," he confessed, a lump forming in his throat. It was no easier the third time around than the first.
"Why?" she cut in, her voice recoiling at the shock. "How did that all happen?" Nagisa sighed in response and finally glanced her way, finding her in the exact state he expected.
"It's a really long story, but I'm being evicted essentially because I'm gay and unemployed. And yes, I know that's illegal," he added as she tried to interject. "Rei's friend is gonna help me press charges, I guess, but I still need somewhere to stay. Can I crash on your couch? I can make food and everything since I have the time now, I guess," he offered with a derisive snort at his pathetic state. But his older sister wouldn't have any of it. She stood and wrapped her protective arms around Nagisa, rubbing her hands up and down his back as tears collected at the corners of his eyes and his bottom lip shivered.
"Of course you can, Nagisa," Emi replied, emotions restrained in her voice. Through her strong grip around his shoulders, he could sense her anger on his behalf and her own empathy on the topic. He supposed that her break-up and subsequent move must have taken their toll on her. She pulled away a moment later, releasing tension with a drawn-out breath. "So, can I ask why you're not staying with Rei?" She reached out to fix Nagisa's bangs.
"We actually had a fight," he admitted, relinquishing his messy hair to her tender touch. It wasn't often she was outright affectionate with him, and he savored the attention.
"You should be careful," Emi warned as she flicked a stray lock back into place. "Rei is a good man."
"I know," he replied meekly, if not with a bit of distraction. "Hey, Emi," he murmured, half afraid of the words he was saying, "how did you know things wouldn't work out between you and your fiancé? Why did you break up?"
"Well," she began thoughtfully, no doubt taken aback at the timing of the question, "there was a lot. I guess if I had to narrow down the root cause, though, it's that we didn't have a good working partnership." The blond's brow wrinkled.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for the few years we were together, the romance was there, sure, but the way we worked together was a mess. Sure, it was nice when he bought me flowers, but it didn't matter when I was the one cooking and cleaning for two on top of the demands of my job. Some people can handle as much, but it wasn't for me. He thought that the romance was enough… I didn't," she described simply, her voice removed and analytical. "When you're thinking in the long run, Nagisa, you have to find someone willing to strike the right balance with you. That's why I'm so fond of Rei. I know the two of you are really just starting, but you clearly have that potential. Whatever needs to be resolved should be done so with care." She grinned wryly and ruffled the hair she'd previously worked to neaten, causing the blond to roll his eyes. "I'm proud of you," she admitted, "for taking the time to make some space between you and him. You're usually such a clinger."
"Hey, watch the hair," he complained with a blush, swatting at her hands. Though he didn't reply directly to her comments, he knew he'd have to take them to heart, and hearing her say that he'd done the right thing meant the world to his confidence. He'd never say it out loud, but he didn't want his relationship to fail like his parents' and then his sister's.
A knock on the door snapped them to attention, and a moment later the nurse stepped in, prepared to monitor their father until he awoke. Nagisa and Emi fell silent as they settled down once more. During the nurse's notetaking, their father awoke and mumbled answers to her questions, before dozing off once again. The two siblings, left with nothing else to do but wait for him to gain full consciousness, decided to wait for Rei in the hospital's cafeteria.
"I brought you two some Chinese food," the attorney said as soon as he spotted them sitting the corner. He pulled out a chair to join them. "How was he? Did you get the chance to speak to him?" he inquired, reading the lingering feeling of melancholy in the air.
"No," Nagisa replied with a sigh, pulling half of the food towards himself and stuffing his face. "He only woke up a little bit, and then the nurse had to ask questions. He probably didn't know we were even there," he mumbled around a mouthful of rice.
"He'll probably be right as rain soon as we get back up," Emi comforted after swallowing a piece of chicken whole.
"I imagine so," Rei agreed. "These things usually take a bit of time, after all, and I'm sure he'd prefer to be clear-headed when he talks with you."
"But I want to be there for him when he wakes up," the blond protested as he wolfed down the take-out.
"At the rate you two are eating," the lawyer observed, "we'll be back up there in less than ten minutes. Oh, and Makoto called me while I was out, Nagisa." Emi perked up at the unfamiliar name, and the blond finally stopped his endless munching.
"What did he say?" he inquired. Their conversation had been abruptly cut short by the morning's emergency, and he'd left Haru and Makoto to fend for themselves back at the house.
"He's going to collect some evidence today to file a lawsuit on Monday. He needs access to your phone records and your contract. Do you know where that might be?" Rei paused and offered a sympathetic glance. "He said that you're not to worry about anything," he added.
"My laptop, somewhere. It's not password protected, so he can look for it there if he needs to," Nagisa replied as he collected his trash, his sister doing likewise. "Alright, let's go."
Back in the room, they found Ken sitting up in his bed, albeit with his eyes closed until they opened the door. Pronounced bags made his eyes sag, but he offered up a weak smile nonetheless, giving him little crow's feet on his face. The rain continued to slip down the window in the corner.
Nagisa and Emi rushed over to his side, their words practically tripping over themselves as they apologized, while Rei hung back by the chairs. Ken gave an exasperated smile.
"Now stop saying 'sorry', you two," he scolded without real force, reaching his right hand out to pat his son on the head, while his left reached for his daughter. "I should be sorry for the worry I've caused you. And Rei," he continued as the attorney snapped to attention and stepped forward to the end of the bed, "thank you for being here." His face flushed a soft red in contrast to the grey of the day.
"Of course," he replied, clearly embarrassed by the inclusion. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't here for you – all of you – in such a difficult time," he confessed quietly, his violet eyes deliberately looking away from the family, but Kenichi refused to have that.
"Now, now, don't be like that," Ken countered. When Rei looked up, he found the man wearing an indignant frown and waving him over. Tentatively, the attorney joined the family by Nagisa's side, only to be tugged into a group hug by the older man. His arms were joined by Nagisa's while Emi snatched his free hand from the other side of the bed. From beside him, the blond could practically feel the hot glow of his boyfriend's bashfulness rolling off him in waves and the words of his sister returned to tug at his heart.
Ken released them all a few moments later, peace descending over his exhausted features. Nagisa leaned against Rei, who supported him with an arm around his shoulders. Emi backed off a little way to check her phone for any news of the missing siblings.
"Maki and Rika should be on their way here," she explained to their father, "but they're coming from Bridlington. It's been some time since they left, so I imagine they'll be here soon." She had just finished saying as much when the telltale click of heels on tile began echoing through hallway, accompanied by indistinct voices outside of the door. The blond's shoulders went cold as Rei removed his arm and stepped off to the side just as the door creaked open.
Two faces poked in, different as night and day in both expression and appearance. Maki was as honey-blonde and chubby-cheeked as her younger brother, but with watery brown eyes and a gooey look of dramatic worry. Rika, her fraternal twin, had straightened dark brown hair with her lips set in a grim line. Neither were happy about being here – that much was clear to the writer.
"Well, if you're awake already, you mustn't be really sick," Maki exclaimed as she stepped into the room, her face melting into a look of relief, no doubt at the fact that she wouldn't have to be here as long as she'd imagined.
"When Emi called, she made it sound like you were on your deathbed," Rika accused as she followed her twin. The spiked black heels had belonged to her. The added height made her look like a looming specter of death, eerily similar to Ms. Westwood. The high ponytail didn't improve the mental image.
"It's not like they've finished all the tests," Nagisa replied without mincing his words. He needed their money, not their flippant attitudes. They didn't have to be here if they didn't want to!
"It almost sounds like you want him to be sick! Honestly, there's nothing wrong in being hopeful, now is there?" Maki sighed as she fell back into one of the lounge chairs. The younger blond felt a spike of irritation at her antics. "You were so much more cheerful when you were a kid – what happened to you?" she griped. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of Rei's brows arching at the statement, a mark of his own displeasure. Despite himself, Nagisa felt a small wave of warmth. Could it be that Rei wanted to stand up for him? Emboldened by the silent symbol of support, he carried on.
"It could have something to do with all of the responsibility you all shoved on me when I was a teenager," he snipped. Before his sisters, his father, or his boyfriend could cut in to lessen the impact of his scathing words, he moved on himself. "But it doesn't matter. It's done."
"We need to discuss what to do, moving forward, if it turns out the tumor was cancerous," Emi agreed, closing the topic of their negligence with considerable finality. Maki and Rika, clearly dissatisfied with that, set their sights on stirring up trouble within a new topic.
"The two of you seemed to have been handling it just fine on your own," Maki griped, pulling out her phone nonetheless.
"Yes, well, I've just completed a huge move and Nagisa is 25 with an entry-level job, thank you," the oldest sister retorted in clipped tones. She was well used to handling all parts of the family at this point, the writer realized - cutting off Maki's antics, saving his own pride, and cutting to the chase like Rika clearly wanted. He was grateful for it. He certainly didn't know how to talk to any of them without losing his temper, and he was embarrassed enough as is that this conversation was taking place in front of Rei (now warily eyeing the two factions alongside Ken, both at a loss for words).
"Do we really have to have this conversation in here?" Nagisa complained, wanting to spare the other two men at least some embarrassment. He wasn't eager for his father to find out he was unemployed either.
With some grumbling and sighs, the four siblings wormed their way into the hall and away from the door, which an invisible hand shut gently behind them. They found a bench out of the way of the room where Maki and Rika seated themselves comfortably. What had they been thinking, wearing heels to a hospital anyways?
"Nagisa and I have about half of what we need to pay for this surgery," Emi informed them promptly, pulling up a note on her phone to show them the sums and figures. "A little over, when we figure in Dad's Armed Forces pension. But we need about £1,000 from each of you in order to cover this surgery fully."
"That's doable, I guess," Rika sighed after checking her bank balance. "What I'm more concerned about is the future if this is cancer. I ran the numbers at work," she said, turning her number-jumbled phone screen their way, "and as you can see, it's no easy task."
"Should we open some sort of joint bank account?" Nagisa wondered as he recalled that Rika worked in finance.
"That's a possibility," she acknowledged as she shared a knowing look with her twin, "but I'll be honest: we don't feel responsible for this situation at all." His heart stopped at her words. "You were always his favorite," she continued as the color drained from her brother's face, "and Maki, Emi, and I consider Nathan our dad anyways."
"Speak for yourself," Emi replied stonily, her arms crossed and her eyes cold. "He may have been closest to Nagisa, but we all have a responsibility to care for family in our times of need. If you won't do it for your father's sake, then you should at least contribute for your brother's sake."
"Nagisa is an adult," Rika rationalized, not even casting him a spare glance, though at the moment he hardly felt like more than a shell of himself.
"Barely!" Emi interjected, trying to restrain her fury to the volume of a whisper to keep from disturbing passers-by. "He just entered the workforce, but he's been dealing with this financial burden since he was in university!"
"Oh, you're right," Maki added, retracting Rika's statement herself, "I wouldn't imagine an adult would bring along his fling to a matter as serious as this." The younger blond's head snapped to attention at last. His fling? "I was wondering who that was in the room. It wasn't a doctor. So, I looked at your Facebook. Honestly," she sighed in exasperation, "if you're going to go around doing that, you should at least privatize your posts. I could see them even though we aren't friends."
"Doing 'that'?" he echoed, his voice shaking with disbelief.
"Trying to prove some point to your family," she explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're acting beyond immature. And bringing him here? Totally inappropriate, Nagisa," she accused, her curls bouncing as she shook her head.
"This conversation is over," Emi stated before he had a chance to react himself. "If you two aren't going to be helpful, then you've made it quite clear you don't feel you belong to this part of the family." At this declaration, both twins frowned.
"Emi, you don't seriously –" Maki began, only to be cut off by her older sister.
"Yes, I am serious. Come back when you're ready to act like family," she spat, turning away from the group and stalking off to their father's room. Not wanting to get caught in the tense atmosphere, Nagisa hurried after her, not bothering to look back at his sisters.
When they stepped back in the room, they found Rei sitting at the window sill, looking pensively out at the darkening sky while Ken dozed off in his bed. The attorney refocused his attention onto the siblings as soon as they shut the door.
"We were just talking," he explained, "when he started falling asleep. I imagine he must still be exhausted."
"Visiting hours are almost over," Emi continued with a sigh. "I suppose we should all be on our way then. You're coming with me, aren't you, Nagisa?"
"Yeah…" he affirmed half-heartedly, his voice trailing off as he looked at his boyfriend. He wanted the chance to talk to him again before he left for his sister's apartment. If they hadn't fought, he would most certainly be going home with Rei right now, ready to relax in his comforting arms, ready to cry when he needed to and love when he wanted to. Emi's words came back mind, and he knew that if he tried to fall into his lover's arms, he would only smother that flame between them that had suddenly grown so weak.
"I'll make sure to call you," Rei murmured, slipping his hands into his coat pocket as though he wanted to touch Nagisa, but couldn't make himself reach out. Now that his father's condition was stable, the tension and need for support had both lulled. They were faced again with their feelings and the reality that they had deeply scarred their relationship. The blond took a deep breath.
"Okay. I'll be waiting to hear from you then." And with that, they both turned from the room and walked away.
After they left the hospital, Emi drove back to her office to check in with her superiors before heading to Nagisa's house to collect some belongings, and then back again she drove to her Lambeth home, culminating in a tiring evening. The exterior of the complex did not impress; it was run down and grungy, though not entirely hideous and unaccommodating. The officer lived on the third floor.
Emi jammed the key in her door with a clatter and rammed her body full-force against it as though she were tackling a dangerous suspect, letting it swing open with a huff and a satisfied grin.
"It gets stuck sometimes, so you just have to fiddle with it," she told Nagisa, stepping to the side to let him in and flicking on the lights. He set his duffle bag down by the door and took his shoes off beside a pile of torn-up boxes.
"Sorry about the mess," she apologized sheepishly as she hung up her coat by the door and stuck her keys in the pocket. "I'm still unpacking."
"It's fine," Nagisa replied with a wave of his hand. It's not like his place had been any better, after all. He sagged down onto the couch that would be his bed for God only knew how long. He hoped to get out of here in a month at least, but there was no real telling until he found employment somewhere.
"Does pasta sound okay for dinner? I don't particularly feel like making an effort tonight," Emi called from the kitchen, pulling out her pot regardless of her brother's answer. He grinned wryly.
"A million carbs with a side of butter? Sounds perfect," he quipped, thinking back on the day that seemed, between the hospital and his sisters and his boyfriend, like it'd never end. He heard Emi snort in response - no doubt she was thinking the same.
"All right then," she replied as she tossed some spaghetti in a bowl and began preparing a simple meat sauce. While she busied herself, his eyes wandered around what was to be his home for at least three weeks.
Despite the derelict appearance of the building and the problems with the door, the apartment was cozy. The floors were a hickory wood color with neither scuffs nor shine, and the walls were a plain ivory plaster, but the windows were large and sure to let in plenty of light during the day. There was a small hallway with only two rooms attached - the bathroom and Emi's bedroom. Neither looked particularly big, but the most important feature to his sister, of course, was the spacious kitchen, despite the clutter of boxes in the rest of the flat.
"So, what do you think?" She peered around the corner, having noticed her brother's staring.
"It's nice," he allowed. Nagisa could hardly afford to be picky; he imagined his next apartment wasn't likely to be much different, whenever it was he was able to find one. He sighed dramatically.
"What is it now?" Emi asked him as she dished up a mountain of pasta on two plates.
"I need a job," he whined, hating the idea of going back to secretarial work. He didn't imagine Ms. Westwood would write him a particularly stellar letter of recommendation, and he'd worked as an assistant for most of his career under Ms. Amakata. "I just hate the idea of putting my dreams on hold for reality. I had just got that job as a real writer." Emi set the plates down on the coffee table and joined him on the couch.
"I read what you were writing," she admitted with a slight blush (presumably she'd tried to follow his advice). "It was really good. I can't imagine why they'd let you go."
"It was the worst," he asserted, twirling his fork around on the plate. "I must have really fucked up. I didn't even get a two-weeks' notice." Emi's expression changed from sympathetic to indignant in a moment.
"That's outrageous! Did you at least get your severance pay? It should tide you over until you can get a new job." The blond choked on a noodle at her words. After a quick sputter and pat on the back from his sister, he sheepishly turned to face her.
"Um, this is stupid, but what's that again?" he wondered. When he first received his contract from Amakata, he thought he'd seen something about that, but to be fair, he was 23 at the time, too excited to work for a big-name magazine to sweat the small stuff.
"Oh my God, Nagisa," Emi groaned, "you didn't even check, did you?" He shook his head meekly, with the impression that she was angrier at the circumstances than at him. "Listen, in the U.K., workers that have their contracts terminated are guaranteed what's called 'severance pay' – a sort of parting pay that makes sure they'll be alright as they look for a new job. It's also required by law to give two weeks' notice of any lay-offs, except in extreme circumstances. And right now, you are telling me that you didn't receive either of those, in writing or words," she finished, her eyes wide blown with shock.
"No," he replied as he thought about the previous week. Ms. Amakata certainly hadn't said anything about lay-offs to him, and Ms. Westwood had only been the editor for a few days when she fired him. Furthermore, before that… "Oh no," he moaned as he realized how well he'd been played. "Amakata was fired right after the last issue was sent to the presses. I wasn't even paid for my January article!" The brunette woman sucked in a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose as though trying to keep herself from exploding with fury at her brother's mistreatment.
"Does Rei know?" she inquired after a moment of quiet. Nagisa shook his head. He'd been so focused on talking about his fight and the eviction that it hadn't occurred to him at all to mention it. He didn't even know anything illegal had transpired. "Do you know why you were dismissed?" she continued. "Were you given any reason at all?"
"No," he replied. "I mean, it might be because I failed to recruit a cover model, but I did try to ask her. And even then, I don't think that's really part of my job…"
"You need a lawyer," Emi stated simply. "Do you think the guy representing you on the housing charges will be willing to help you out here?"
"I-I don't know," Nagisa stammered. A charge filed against the owner of his house was one thing, but would Makoto be willing to go up against a corporation as renowned as Elite?
"You're gonna need to find out tomorrow. If not, ask Rei to help you find someone else," she replied, relaxing slightly now that they at least had a plan in motion. She dug back into her pasta. "Nagisa, you're up for a tough couple of months here."
"Yeah," he agreed grimly, "I think I have that much figured out."
The next morning, Nagisa awoke to the clatter of his sister making her way to work and decided that he himself may as well get started on the day regardless of the early hour. Just because he was apparently filing a lawsuit against two businesses didn't mean he didn't need a job. He spent the earliest part of the morning re-polishing his resume and seeking postings anywhere – from secretarial work for the government to customer service in department stores.
At around nine, however, his phone interrupted his desperate Google search for work. Expecting it to be Makoto, he steeled himself for the next conversation of legal technicalities that he didn't understand.
"Hey, Makoto," he greeted as calmly as he could manage, "I have some news for you about my dismissal."
"What?" came the voice of his ex-boss. "I'm not here to talk about your old job," she stated clearly as the blond tried to piece together what would happen to him now.
"Um, why are you calling?" he asked, closing his search on his computer to focus on her words.
"A new job," she replied triumphantly. It was a pity he didn't understand at all what she meant by that.
"Uh," he managed, unable to think of anything to say to that. If she knew someone willing to hire him as a writer – even an assistant – he was all ears. He just hadn't expected anything to crop up so soon.
"You gave me the idea," she responded enthusiastically, the authoritative spark having returned to her voice. "A few days ago, when we were drinking," she began to explain, "you asked me why I didn't just start my own magazine. Well, I will, and I'll be damned if I don't have you on staff."
"Uh, I don't think I have to tell you that I was really drunk when I proposed that," he replied in a flustered tone, barely scrapping together the memory of that night. "I didn't think you'd take me seriously."
"Well, I did, and you can't back out of it now," she quipped in her usual efficient tone. Despite it all – the stress of his family and uncertainty of his financial situation – he smiled nostalgically at the order. "Meet me later today to discuss it, say, three o'clock at the coffee shop." Although he doubted much would come of the meeting, he found himself agreeing to the whims of the powerful woman that he admired so much.
"Yeah, okay," he said, "that works out perfectly." If he met Makoto in the early afternoon, he could walk to the usual coffee shop and then head to the hospital from there to check on his father. Without saying so much as a goodbye, Amakata hung up, leaving him feeling better than he had in weeks. Was it wrong, he wondered, to feel this hope building up inside him when so little was certain about the future? At that moment, sitting on a ratty old couch in a flat that wasn't his, Nagisa felt strongly what faith Amakata had placed in him and his ideas. At last, after weeks of worry, he began once again to feel faith in himself.